


Black and Red

by prettypinkprince



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: M/M, poly rangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-26 04:16:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16674340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettypinkprince/pseuds/prettypinkprince
Summary: Zack has something weighing on his mind, and Jason is the only one he can talk to about it. Little did he know, they have much more in common than expected.





	Black and Red

After a long day of training, it was just Jason and Zack at the canyon now. Billy, Kim, and Trini all had to get home at curfew to stay on good terms with their parents. But Jason knew his parents didn’t check his room to see if he was asleep. He wasn’t getting in trouble anymore, and had fallen into the company of ‘better influences’, as they had put it. Detention was funny that way.

And Zack? Jason didn’t ask, but he was pretty sure his Mom was used to him coming and going as he pleased. Assuming she was even awake to notice. Still, with so much being shared between the five of them, there was something unspoken in the air. Tonight was a big night, even if Trini had only casually let it slip what her plans were tomorrow.

“So,” Zack began, casual as ever, and throwing more wood into the bonfire. “You really think she’s gonna go through with it?”

Jason turned to look at his friend. His grey hood was flipped up, black sneakers bouncing up and down with anxious energy, all while leaning forward in his seat. He was closer than Jason originally anticipated, and far more worried than he tried to come off.

“Trini? Coming out?” Jason leaned back in his chair to get a better look at the black ranger in the dark. God, he was so wound up, hands in front of his face as if he were praying. His eyes stared straight into the fire, and Jason reached out to touch his leg, hoping to ground him. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay.”

“You really think so?” Zack couldn’t help but sound anxious now. Jason smirked. He loved how overprotective the guy was of Trini. He clearly thought of her as a little sister, which is crazy to think of considering he couldn’t even get her name right at the start of the semester.

“Yeah, I do.” Jason patted his friend’s knee and offered him another beer, courtesy of his parent liquor cabinet. “Relax.”

“Thanks, man.” Zack gratefully accepted. He looked like he was about to stretch back in his lawn chair, but he hadn’t even got the bottle to his lips before he was jittery again. “What do you think they’ll say, though?”

“I don’t know, man.” Jason laughed involuntarily at Zack’s mother henning, but the boy shot him a look that told him this was no joking matter. The red ranger tried to straighten up and put on a more sober tone.

“I know she’s worried her parents are too traditional but this is the twenty-first century.” He shrugged. “I honestly think they’ll be relieved this is what’s been making her act so weird and not some drug problem.”

“Yeah...yeah, you’re probably right.” Zack took a swig of his drink, clearly trying to convince himself it was true.

“Besides, they’re definitely gonna soften up when they meet her girlfriend. Everyone loves her.”

“But what if she doesn’t make it that far?”

“What?” Jason was baffled. He picked up his chair and positioned it so he was face to face with his friend. “You think they’d what? Kick her out?”

“Man, I don’t know.” Zack lifted one shoulder and avoided making eye contact.

“Even if she did - which she won’t - she’d stay with one of us.” He put a hand to his friend’s shoulder, coaxing Zack to look at him. He knew Zack would want to be the one to take care of Trini, but he wouldn’t be able to in this hypothetical scenario. He didn’t have the room, not to mention things with his mom. And his inability to help was clearly burning him up inside. “We’d never let that happen. You know that.”

“I do.” Zack shook his head. “But I still worry. I don’t want anything to happen - to any of us. And now that’s she’s finally happy,” Zack was starting to well up. This was yet another thing Jason loved about his reckless, loudmouthed friend. How unapologetically deep he felt. How willing he was to be emotionally vulnerable, especially in front of his friends. “I just don’t want anything to take it away from her.”

“It won’t, Zack. They’re her parents, they love her.” Jason tried to reassure him. “Even if they didn’t, she’d still have us. Always.”

The fire crackled at their back, and the pop of air had a new wave of heat radiating around them. Still ignited ash flew around them and mingled with the bright stars they could clearly see here at the edge of Angel Grove. Zack finally met his gaze, an expression nakedly scared. Jason felt a chill run through him, an intense need to comfort his friend, even as he watched the black ranger try to put on a brave face.

“It gets me thinking, is all. Too much.” Zack chuckled. He eased back into his chair and set his eyes on the flames. “What if it were you?” His voice is soft, and sounds close to cracking.

“If it were me?”

“Yeah.” Zack now sounds hesitant, but risks a glance at Jason. “Coming out. If you…”

“Weren’t straight?”

“Yeah.”

The wheels started to turn in Jason’s head. He knew what his parents - what everyone - expected of him. Captain of the football team, full ride scholarships to the best universities, to get out of Angel Grove. And probably to have a steady girlfriend by now, become prom king and queen. But that was all done now. While his parents had taken it really hard at first, they had eventually come to terms with reality. They could probably do it again.

“I think,” Jason started slowly. “They’d want what’s best for me...All parents do, I guess. It just depends how much they understand that what’s best for them may not be exactly what’s best for their kids.”

Zack considered this for a while. Jason couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but it was obviously paining him. He wondered how much more it would hurt his friend to verbalize it all. The red ranger spoke up again, hoping to add a more comforting addition to his explanation.

“It’s not like my parents really know about my dating life, though. We’ve never really been open about that kind of thing. Who I’m interested in. I’d want to keep it private anyway.”

“Right.” Zack nodded slowly, still seemingly lost in his own thoughts. He was being so silent, so unlike his usual self. An idea struck Jason, and he didn’t think much before saying it aloud.

“This isn’t just about Trini...is it?”

“What?” Zack’s head shot up. “What do you mean?” He tried to laugh it off, but it was forced.

“Man,” Jason put a hand on his friend’s leg once again. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Can you just...answer me one question first?” Zack’s voice was shaky.

“Anything.” Jason’s grip became a bit tighter on his friend’s leg. He wanted to put Zack at ease, make him feel so much less scared and lost than he was sounding. Zack was such a burst of joy in their friend group; in his life. Jason never wanted him to feel like he was alone, without support, especially when he selflessly gave so much to them all.

“Can you tell me what you think...of guys? Of sexuality? Of it all.”

“That’s a pretty broad question.” Jason smiled.

“Humor me.” Zack grinned back, thank god.

“Well,” Jason wanted to be honest. He breathed in and built up the courage to be as forthcoming as possible. “I’ve thought about it. I’m pretty open...to all of it.”

“Like, being tolerant?”

“No, like me. Like being attracted to people...who aren’t girls.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Jason acknowledged awkwardly. “I don’t think it’s as simple as being strictly straight, for me. There’s a lot of people in the world. A lot of people that have gotten me to think twice about not just being what others have told me I am.”

“Okay.” Zack nods. “So...has that happened? You being interested in any guys?”

“I thought it was only one question?” Jason smirked.

“Oh, fuck you.” Zack pushed on the leader’s lawn chair with his foot and they laughed.

“Honestly?” The red ranger wiped his palms on his jeans, feeling slightly too hot in his own skin. “Promise you won’t tell anyone? Not even the other rangers?”

“Well, this sounds juicy.” The mischief was back in Zack’s eyes as he gravitated towards his friend. “Yeah, I promise.”

“The thing is,” Jason inhaled, disbelieving he was going to reveal this information at all. “I care about all of you, a lot. I...really love you all. You’re the most important people in my life.”

“Aww, love you, too bro.” Zack patted his shoulder.

“Yeah, but the thing is...I think I might have...maybe had a crush on Billy.” The statement seemed so bold Jason felt the need to backpedal. “I mean when we first met, he was quirky and cute, but I didn’t think much of it until...I realized how much I wanted to protect him? And how proud of him I would get, or how much it meant to me when he trusted me enough to touch him.” A knot formed in his throat at his worst memory.

“And when I thought I-we lost him.” Jason saw Zack’s jaw tighten with that flashback. “I’ve never wanted to undo something so bad in my life.”

“Hey...he’s back now.” Zack reminded him in a gentle voice.

“Thank god,” The red ranger laughed through a choked sob. “We’d be so screwed without him.”

“Your damn right we would be.” His friend agreed.

“Man, you sure this is a past tense crush?”

“Look, I don’t know.” Jason admitted after fighting back tears. “It’s complicated. I don’t think about hooking up with dudes that much, really.”

“Yeah, but do you love him?”

“How do you even make that distinction? Loving someone so much as a friend, doesn’t that feel similar to...other types of love?”

“I can’t tell you what a crush feels like to you. But I think you know the difference.” Zack already sounded a lot better, and not at all freaked out by Jason’s confession. “Either way, your secret’s safe with me.”

“Thanks.” Jason genuinely meant it. “Now what about yours?”

“Ha,” Zack pointed at his friend knowingly. “You don’t miss anything, do ya Red?”

“Guilty.”

“You know how you said you don’t think about hooking up with guys much?” It was Zack’s turn to take in a big breath.

“Yeah.” Jason waited for the black haired boy to continue. His leg stopped bobbing up and down, and met his friend’s stare.

“I think about it all the time.” He seemed to be waiting for a bomb to drop, as if Jason was going to recoil in disgust.

“Oh, yeah? Like who?” The blonde prodded, cocky smile on his face. “Do I make that list?”

“Man, shut up!” Zack bursts into giggles, taking a mock swing at his friend. Jason dodges it, of course. “I’m trying to pour my heart and soul out over here, telling you I’m bisexual, and you can’t even check your ego for my coming out party.”

“Is that what this is?” Jason teases. “Sorry I didn’t bring the balloons and streamers.”

“Yeah, yeah, well if you want to make up for it, why don’t you tell me how far up I am on your fantasy ranking?”

“Well…” Jason trailed off, glancing up guiltily.

“Oh my god,” Zack eyes widened and his smile grew. “You can’t be serious.”

“What? You’re hot.” The blonde tried to defend himself. Zack visibly puffed up with pride at the compliment. “And I didn’t say I never thought about it.” Jason had no clue why he was on this loose lipped train to revealing way too much information, but he would probably just blame the alcohol in the morning. “I may or may not have had a dream or two...about us all...getting together.”

“All five of us?!” Zack looked incredulous but also amused.

“It was only a couple times!” Jason should have felt more self conscious, but he was only feeling more comfortable and drawn in to his friend. He felt warm, he felt slightly more understood. Definitely closer to Zack, emotionally and physically now.

“Okay, and where was I in that dream? Front and centre? Or were you preoccupied with Billy? Or Kim?” The black ranger grinned wickedly.

“I don’t know!”

“I think that’s a lie.” Zack tilted his head. It reminded Jason of his first encounter with his classmate. When the impulsive teenager had jumped on top of Billy’s van and, when confronted about it, confirmed he was in fact crazy. It made the blonde really excited to see the next thing his friend would do.

“Jason Scott, are you attracted to me?” The black haired boy brought himself even further into the red ranger’s personal bubble. Jason didn’t hate it.

“I already said you’re hot. Don’t pretend you don’t know. Why you asking, anyway? Are you attracted to me?” He grinned. The flirting, the flattery, it made Jason light up inside.

“Why don’t you kiss me and find out?” And now the two boys were even closer, to the point the blonde was shaking with anticipation. He wanted to throw his nerves away, so he grabbed his smiling friend at the back of his neck and brought their lips together. Jason felt Zack’s mouth go soft and pliant after the shock wore off. The red ranger almost smiled through the kiss, but pushed forward instead. Jason’s kissing was insistent, and Zack accepted the affection with excitement, moaning in the back of his throat after a moment. Their mouths opened slightly, Jason suckling at Zack’s bottom lip until eventually their tongues grazed. That may have overwhelmed the black ranger, because he pulled back with a gasp.

“Does that answer your question?” Jason asked with a confident smile.

“Yeah, yeah, Red.” Zack bit his flushed lip, trying to play off the fact he was grinning like an idiot. “That answered a lot of my questions.”

“Like what?”

“Like whether or not I’d like kissing a guy as much as a girl.”

“Huh,” Jason thought for a moment. “Guess that answers it for me, too.”

“So, uhhh…” Zack eyed his friend. “Do we tell the others-”

“Maybe not.”

“Right.” Zack nodded, looking serious.

“Not yet, at least. We should see how things go with Trini first.” The blonde clarified. “Wouldn’t wanna upstage her big moment.”

“No, I guess not.” Zack chuckled. “Thanks, though. For being honest.”

“It’s only fair.” Jason put his hand on top of his friend’s and squeezed. “I’m glad I was your first. That you told, I mean.”

“No problem, man.” Zack’s eyes went soft, holding his friend’s hand.

“And Zack? Your mom’s gonna love you no matter what.”

“Yeah,” The black ranger agreed. “I guess she’s not really the one I have to worry about.”

Jason’s brows knit together in confusion.

“Trini’s gonna kill me for not telling her first.” Zack admitted.

With that, the two of them erupted in laughter so loud it echoed all across the canyon.


End file.
